Sexual assault, victim's Grand Mum says accused was innocent

A Tema taxi driver breathed a sigh of relief after the grandmother of a seven-year-old schoolgirl he was alleged to have assaulted pleaded for the withdrawal of the charge against him because he was wrongly accused.

This was after the girl's teacher had confirmed to Madam Angelina Arthur that her grand daughter skipped extra classes to watch the school's games and was sexually assaulted by a schoolboy at the school's urinal on February 2, this year.

Madam Arthur said, based on the teacher's report, she felt that Isaac Agbeko, the taxi driver, who pleaded not guilty, should be set free and the tribunal responded by granting him two million cedis bail to re-appear on March 18.

Madam Arthur explained that when her grand daughter complained of some pains around her private parts soon after Agbeko, brought her home at about 4pm, she rushed her to a clinic.

A doctor who examined the victim said in his report that her hymen was not broken, but saw some aberrations by the side of her private part. "I therefore, rushed to the community two police and made a report against the taxi driver, and he was immediately arrested and put into cells while investigations continued," she added.

The tribunal was stunned when Madam Arthur said she even asked her grand daughter whether the driver did anything to her, but the girl replied that he only carried her from the car through the gate to their door.

Madam Arthur, a retired employee of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said it was not until she took the girl to school to complain about what had happened to her that her class teacher reported to her that the girl did not attend studies the previous day after classes.

Chief Inspector Ben Agbedanu had told the tribunal chaired by Mr Ringo Cass Azumah, that Agbeko had been engaged for the past one year to pick the girl on his taxi and sent her home daily after school.

The tribunal had heard that on reaching the victim's house, at about 4 p.m. that day Agbeko allegedly carried the girl out of the car and while sending her home he inserted his finger into her private part. Chief Inspector Agbedanu had said that the victim struggled with Agbeko until he saw Madam Arthur approaching them, and then he quickly put her down.

He said the victim on reaching the room complained of some pains around her private part and when the grandmother questioned her, she was said to have claimed that the driver had inserted his fingers into her private part and a report was made to the police.